BBC Radio 1’s Jaguar spearheads FUTURE1000 program offering music biz opportunities for 1000 young women
New program aims to encourage young women to join the music industry
(Sarah Warren AKA Dolittle)
A new, free national training programme to encourage more young women into the music industry by equipping under-18s with the skills they need to start their careers, has been launched.
Future1000 is led and presented by BBC Radio 1 DJ, broadcaster and journalist Jaguar in partnership with in-school music education platform FutureDJs. The free initiative aims to redress the gender imbalance in professional music.
Launching at a time when the pandemic has further restricted opportunities in an industry with already-limited accessibility to women, Future1000 will focus on establishing equity at a grassroots level by providing 1,000 girls and gender minorities in the UK with access to the necessary training, tools and mentorship for success within the industry. The imbalance was highlighted recently by the latest UK Music Diversity Survey, which noted women make up only 16% of all artists in the industry.
Inspired by Jaguar’s own experiences as an emerging female POC DJ, and brought to life via FutureDJs’ educational expertise and network, the initiative will focus its support on young girls, trans and non-binary people from underrepresented backgrounds.
Successful candidates will attend a summer-long course that will cover a range of industry career paths, including radio presenting, DJing, music production and management. The program also includes a 12-part online course, which doesn’t require any equipment or previous knowledge.
Participants will learn via interactive sessions with established musicians, DJs and industry figures, along with a series of online modules developed with London College of Music Education [LMCE] accredited course tutors. The scheme will also offer schools, who struggle to equip their classrooms with modern music technology, the opportunity to apply for free practice equipment for students taking part.
The program is part of FutureDJs, whose aim is to help young people to enter the dance music industry by inspiring them through the artists and genres they love. After helping to secure DJs as part of the GCSE music syllabus, the organisation has worked closely with schools since 2015, hosting workshops and one-to-one teaching sessions, and providing opportunities for British students to learn from famous figures such as Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox, Goldie, Tiffany Calver and Yasmin Evans.
FutureDJs has been working in schools around the UK since 2015, writing books about ‘How to DJ’ , and creating digital resources for teachers to deliver modern music lessons. They have also introduced the world’s first graded DJ exams, operated and awarded in partnership with the University of West London and accredited by Ofqual.
Jaguar, co-founder of Future1000, commented: “Our hope for equality lies in the next generation and that’s why Future1000 will help improve gender diversity and representation at the very start of young people’s journeys into music, at a time when access to opportunities and inclusivity is most critical. My own experience of coming up in the industry, and often being the only girl in the room, has motivated me to make a change for others from similar backgrounds, and I hope that Future1000 helps to show young girls, trans and non-binary people what they’re capable of.”
Austen Smart, co-founder of FutureDJs & Future1000, commented; “FutureDJs is on a mission to remix music education and make learning accessible and inspiring for all young musicians. By helping more young women, trans and non-binary students take their first steps into the music industry through the empowerment of 1000 young music makers, we want to challenge outdated structures, and create real opportunities for the next generation of talent.”
Future1000 is currently recruiting 1000 young girls to take part in the programme, which runs from May to December.
Those who are invited to take part will be enrolled in the course, which will take place throughout the summer holidays and until the end of 2021. They will also receive free access to the educational tools they need to participate, including a license for online music production software, Soundtrap (worth £125).
For more information and to apply to register interest (teachers must register on behalf of students), visit future1000.org